1 boy killed, 1 injured after being run over by car

A schoolboy was killed and another seriously injured when they were run over by a car in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, on Thursday, police said.

Police said the two 8-year-old boys were hit by a male driver on a municipal road at 3:50 p.m. TBS reported Friday that one of the boys, who has been named as Naohiro Kaneko, was crushed under the car and died. The other boy sustained broken bones in his shoulder and leg.

According to police, the driver of the vehicle was a 23-year-old university student from Mongolia. He has been charged with reckless driving resulting in death.

He was quoted by police as saying, "I tried to swerve and avoid the boys, but I accidentally hit them."

May 31, 2013
07:46 pm JST

May 31, 2013
08:01 pm JST

I guess you can't drive over here like you do in Mongolia. Sometimes it does frustrate me because people just randomly walk or ride their bike in the middle of street without even looking or even acknowledging that you were even there to begin with. At least in the US we have situation awareness. This is not to blame anyone or bring any attention from the situation. Just pointing out a observation since I been here in Japan.

May 31, 2013
09:36 pm JST

May 31, 2013
11:15 pm JST

Jason: "I guess you can't drive over here like you do in Mongolia."

Thing is, you read about this thing happening in Japan, to Japanese and by Japanese, daily, so without further details I fail to see how nationality is a relevance. I nearly got smoked by a car just 20 minutes ago because the road is so narrow, and since the sidewalk was being rode on by a bunch of bicycles on the wrong side of the road to boot I had to go into the street.

RIP to the little boy indeed, and here's hoping the other recovers, but suggesting it's because the driver was Mongolian is silly without any further details in the story.

May 31, 2013
11:20 pm JST

At least in the US we have situation awareness

Dont know about that, but you certainly have sidewalks, and that makes a big difference to pedestrian safety. It seems like these boys were walking along the road, not crossing it. Often pedestrians and cars share the road in Japan. And that situation + narrow roads + lots of cars + kids alone + idiot drivers = disaster waiting to happen.

June 1, 2013
01:46 am JST

I drive all the time and kids just don't have any road sense here or people just drive to fast on these narrow roads that are here.
There should be a campaign in schools to educate about road safety, either walking, riding a bike or in a car (seat belts), then they can go home and teach their parents how it is done.
I feel for the family, maybe if they caught their kid to look before crossing and not to run around blind corners then this might not have happened.

June 1, 2013
04:06 am JST

ChibaChick: Dont know about that, but you certainly have sidewalks, and that makes a big difference to pedestrian safety.

You're right about that but since it's been this way in Japan for nearly as long as most Japanese, especially anyone under 50, has been on this earth, you'd think that they'd be used to it by now and would walk, ride and drive accordingly.

June 1, 2013
05:12 am JST

you'd think that they'd be used to it by now and would walk, ride and drive accordingly.

Well, in this case the guy was not Japanese, so probbaly not used to it, but generally, yeah, youd think, wouldnt you. But there is so little road sense here, for drivers or pedestrians. The only miracle is that it doesnt happen more often.

June 1, 2013
07:55 pm JST

June 1, 2013
08:41 pm JST

He has been charged with reckless driving resulting in death.

I'm surprised they actually charged someone with Reckless Driving, Unfortunately it took someone to give their Life before the JCops took any action... Oh, but let's remember, we mustn't lose focus on those Dangerous Bicycle Riders...!

June 2, 2013
03:27 am JST

As tragic as this accident is, no, we shouldn't lose focus on bad drivers and bad riders. The former being dangerous for obvious reasons and the latter for endangering themselves and creating dangerous road situations.

RIP little one... Let's hope it wasn't in vain...

Indeed, but of course it was. Two little boys are dead and one young man has foolishly done irreparable damage to his own future. What could possibly be the benefit of this. Japan has shown time and time again that it is less than seriously interested in changing automobile and bicycle laws and education for the sake of safety. This accident will change little but for those directly involved.

June 2, 2013
11:24 am JST

Tiger_In_The_Hermitage
Rest in peace. I don't understand why this happens all the time? People please drive carfully, for your own sake as well as for others who use the roads.

Anyone who's lived in Japan, I should preface that with, having to walk or ride a bicycle on a daily basis, not driving a motor vehicle, and especially if they had any experience in the states, or U.K... They would notice immediately that Drivers here in Japan have this, "Might equals Right" mentality when it comes to driving... Considering, there is Compulsory Insurance, so even if you continuously run people down, you needn't worry about your insurance dropping your coverage, or your rates going through the roof, because it's Compulsory Insurance, and It Transfers WITH the Car, NOT the Driver, and the rate is Always the same for everyone!!!

Hence you've just eliminated one of the biggest safety filters / mechanisms toward keeping reckless drivers off the road... Couple that with this inbred Communist Philosophy that everyone, whether, Walking, Driving, Riding a Mama-Chari or Wheelchair bound NEEDS to be treated Exactly the same under the LAW...Crazy.... And you've just created one of the most Dangerous Pedestrian Thoroughfares in the Industrialized world... And the statistics show...!
Need to get back to common-sense Laws and Police need to start going after these, "I own the Road" MOTOR-VEHICLE Drivers! And after we've accomplished the Most Pressing 100 Items and Pedestrians aren't being run down on a daily / weekly basis, Then maybe we can focus on a few of those other, Not So Pressing Issues, including your supposed rogue bicycles!

June 3, 2013
08:31 am JST

Its all very sad.accident The boys were ON the road, that tells me that some blame may be put on the boys, also no mention of speeding. I put forewad that the Japanese roads like many roads in ASIA are not designed for pedestrian and car saftey. It's just an accident.